272 



JOTJENAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



C October 9, 1866. 



daylight. I have had them shut up for seven weeks, and they 

 never in all that time had the covering removed or the lights 

 opened — in fact, no attention beyond seeing that the covering 

 was on. I invariably find on taking this off that the foliage is 

 covered with a fine dew, water hanging in drops from the leaves. 

 Air should be admitted very gradually, and if the weather be 

 sunny, throw a mat over the lights for an hour or two during the 

 middle of the day. The foliage under this treatment will soon 

 recover its wonted greenness, and in a week or ten days full 

 exposure to air and light may be given, weather permitting. 

 Air in mild weather, and protection during frost, whether by 

 day or night, is all that the cuttings will require from the time 

 of their being put in until March. Any leaves that may decay 

 should, however, be removed, as well as any flower-stems. 



If the weather prove mild the cuttings will have made fine 

 plants by the beginning of March, when the points of the 

 shoots should be pinched out at the third or fourth joint. By 

 the end of the month they will have become much too crowded, 

 and should have other quarters provided for them. Choose, 

 therefore, an open, sheltered situation, and dig out the soil to 

 the depth of 1 foot, laying it on both sides of a trench 3 feet 

 wide, with the like space between. At the bottom of the trench 

 I place 3 inches of well-rotted manure, the same depth of loam 

 from rotted turves if I have it, or, if not, of the ordinary soil, 

 and on that again a like thickness of leaf mould. The trenches 

 are then forked over twice, mixing the manure, loam, and leaf 

 mould as much as possible, and the sides of the trenches being 

 neatly sloped off these have a neat appearance. 



In the trenches prepared as above the plants are turned out 

 in mild weather, from the second week in March to the first 

 week in April, iu lines 6 inches apart, and '■', inches from plant 

 to plant in the line, care being taken to remove the plants care- 

 fully from the frame so as to preserve to each a small ball of 

 earth. Should frost at night be feared no water is given, unless 

 it be so early in the day that the foliage will be dry before 

 night, but some sticks are placed over the trenches at such a 

 distance that mats will be supported clear of the plants. 

 Either at the time of transplanting or the following morning 

 a good watering is given, and the mats are kept on day and 

 night for a few days until the plants recover, when they are 

 exposed fully during the day, but the mats should be put on at 

 night, and kept on by day if frosty. A single thickness of mat 

 will mostly he sufficient, but should the weather prove un- 

 usually severe an extra thickness will make all safe. Should 

 the plants become frosted (I never had them so but once), 

 instead of removing the covering to expose them to the sun, do 

 so only for as long as may be necessary to sprinkle them over- 

 head with cold water from an exposed open cistern (not from a 

 pump), putting on the mats again, and an extra thickness of 

 protecting material. Do not uncover again that day, and all will 

 be well the next, or at most there will only be a few blackened 

 leaves which only need picking off. Protection from frost is all 

 the plants will require for a time, or until they become esta- 

 blished, and then they will need water copiously, but for safety 

 it should be given in ihe morning. It may, however, be sup- 

 plied early in the afternoon if the weather be mild, and there 

 is every probability of the foliage becoming dry before night. 



About the middle of April the plants should be gone over, 

 and such of the shoots as need it ought to be stopped to make 

 them stocky, and from this time forward the treatment consists 

 in watering when necessary, and protecting from frost. In the 

 third or fourth week in May they may be transplanted to the 

 beds or borders where intended to bloom, taking care to lift 

 and plant with all the ball practicable. 



I have omitted to mention that before turning out the plants 

 iu the trenches, advantage is taken of a dry day to tread the com- 

 post firm, and in planting the soil is pressed firmly about them. 

 In covering the plants in the trenches, the mats should lie on 

 the soil at the sides and ends, the latter being closed like the 

 sides. Hooping over is not so good as straight stakes laid over 

 the trenches, for it is not to the covering that the safety of the 

 plants is due, but to the heal radiated by the earth, and of this 

 the plants receive more in a trench than on level ground. 



Calceolarias to do well require plenty of cool manure, and 

 sufficient space between them. Thick planting only diminishes 

 the number of flowers during dry weather, and renders the 

 plants weakly for future propagation. — G. Abbey. 



seven cones, which are the first it has produced, and, like tho 

 beautiful specimen in the pinetum at Linton last year, are all 

 near the top. The Linton tree is the first, I believe, iu this 

 country that has produced cones, thus showing how thoroughly 

 this valuable ornamental Conifer has made itself at home here. 

 It may be observed that the older specimens are forming nume- 

 rous small branches, but at regular intervals, at the extremities 

 of the principal ones springing from the trunk, and that the 

 weight of these gives a pendulous appearance very different 

 from the stiff and formal habit of young plants ; the principal 

 branches are also gradually losing their leaves nearest the 

 trunk. This is the true character of the Araucarias, and, be- 

 coming conspicuous in Mr. Mitchell's tree, greatly increases 

 its beauty. — Adolphus H. Keht. 



POTATOES AND PEARS AT GARGRAVE. 



I recently visited the Eev. Charles Marsden's garden at 

 Gargrave, near Skipton, to see his collection of Potatoes, which 

 are grown well there, and after looking through them I made 

 the following notes : — 



Mima's Pride. — A good prolific first-early kind, but must not 

 be grown too strong. 



Rivers's Royal Ashleaf. — A very early second-early kind, a 

 good cropper, and Al in quality. 



Gloucester Kidney. — A fine kind, but not so early as Eivers's. 



Milky White. — A fine flat Kidney, a second-early kind, and 

 a first-class Potato. This kind will be generally grown when 

 better known. 



Bradford Kidney. — Like Haigh's in growth, a heavy cropper, 

 and a first-class late second-early. 



Lord Raglan. — A capital late second-early, white and mealy 

 when cooked, and very prolific. 



Birmingham Prizetaker. — A large-growing Potato, evidently 

 a cross between a Kidney and a Bound, but not so promising 

 here as some of the others. 



These kinds were the best, and since seeing them Mr. Mars- 

 den writes me : — " We had some of the Bradford Kidney for 

 luncheon on Saturday last, and a party of six unanimously 

 pronounced them to be the best Kidney Potatoes they had 

 tasted this year. I consider it superior to both the Gloucester 

 Kidney and Eivers's Eoyal Ashleaf, for while it is quite their 

 equal in flavour, it is, when boiled carefully, drier and more 

 mealy. It also gives an excellent crop, free from all taint of 

 disease." With regard to Lord Baglan Potato, Mr. Marsden 

 writes: — "It is decidedly one of the very best Potatoes 

 known as a second-early, or in succession to a second-early. 

 We had a dish of this on Monday, and it was in fine condition 

 and very mealy. It is seldom or never affected ljy the disease, 

 and is as good as the Lapstone, and as it puts up but a short 

 top, it may be grown somewhat closer in the rows than many 

 other sorts." 



A batch of young Pear trees here, all on the Quince stock 

 and several double-grafted, some of which are dwarf bushes and 

 others are against the walls, are all doing well, and producing 

 good crops, especially Beurre Giffard, a very early Pear ; Beurre 

 Superfin, Beurre Hardy, Passe Colmar, Baronne de Mello, 

 Josephine de Malines, Glou Morceau, Marie Louise, Beurre 

 Diel, and Beurre de Caen. Cox's Orange Pippin Apple on a wall 

 was very fine. 



Gargrave is not in the best gardening district of Yorkshire, 

 but Mr. Marsden's garden is always worth a visit, and he is a 

 good hardy-fruit grower. His Pear trees were in perfect 

 health. The soil is not the best, but the secret of success 

 lies in good and careful management. — W. Dean, Shipley, 

 Yorkshire. 



Araucakia imbricata. — In the notice of Mr. Mitchell's fine 

 specimen of this tree (page 221), an interesting circumstance 

 connected with it was accidentally omitted. It has this year 



MILDEWED GRAPES. 



I see that you have many applications respecting mildew on 

 Grapes, and that you invariably reco mm end the berries to be 

 dipped in sulphur. Having had some experience of the dis- 

 ease, and also of a remedy which I have found effectual several 

 times, I now send you a few hints which, if followed out, I 

 think will give satisfaction. At the situation I was in eight or 

 nine years ago, the mildew attacked the Vines in the green- 

 house so severely that I did not cut a bunch, though a good 

 crop ; and my then employers would not have the berries 

 sulphured, as they said they could taste it. 



The next season the mildew made its appearance in the hot- 

 house adjoining, and as soon as I saw it, just about the time of 



